Currently, communications are performed via communication networks. A communication network may include a wired section or a wireless section. For example, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) exists as a standard protocol for the Internet. Transmission and reception of packetized data are widely performed on communication networks by using TCP/IP.
Incidentally, service providers or the like may perform management of data communication quality on communication networks. Accordingly, methods for managing data communication quality for communication networks have been disclosed. For example, there have been disclosed techniques that observe the continuity and arrival intervals of received packets to determine whether a packet drop has occurred in either of high speed and low speed sections. Further, for example, there have been also disclosed techniques that generate delay time fluctuation characteristic data from packet delivery acknowledgement information in a wireless section.
As related art, there have been disclosed, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-13809 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-154201.
In order to detect communication delays in wireless sections within a communication network, service providers or the like may install a monitoring device for each wireless section, and monitor communication for each wireless section individually. However, many wireless sections within a communication network exist on network terminals on the user side which connect wireless terminals and wireless base stations. Therefore, installing a monitoring device for each wireless section may lead to an increase in the number of monitoring devices to be installed.
It may not be possible to install a monitoring device in every wireless base station. For example, a wireless base station may exist in a location where it is difficult to install a monitoring device. In this case, information may be collected by using monitoring devices installed in limited locations. However, using information collected on limited wireless sections alone makes it difficult to monitor and analyze communications in other wireless sections.